Chip in the Heart
by Vickironica
Summary: Ray talks Zack into baking cookies. They learn things about themselves. Zack finds out he wouldn't mind doing it again. ((ZackRay fluff))


**Hey guys! Guess who's back with a new update! Does anybody actually watch this show or game. I love Angels of Death so much. Somebody write me fanfic. Please. I'm desperate. Anyways this is for a friend, and friend, you know who you are!**

 **So, have fun reading :D**

 **Dude seriously it's just fluff.**

* * *

"Hey Zack," Ray looks over the couch to find him raiding the cabinets for snacks. "Have you ever made cookies before?"

Zack turns towards her with arms full of snacks (mostly chips and sweets) and a couple sodas. He scrunches his eyebrows together and looks at her in confusion and slight disbelief. "...Are you serious?"

Rachael nods.

He pops the lid off of one of the sodas with his teeth before plopping down on the couch next to her, spilling all the snacks across their laps. "Hell, I dunno if I remember what a cookie tastes like."

She smiles. Only a small one, barely noticeable, but still there nonetheless. "Would you like to try?"

And because Zack is a sucker for Ray and can't tell her no, he agrees.

…..

"Do you want to choose the kind?"

He looks at her incredulously. "What, there's more than one kind of cookie?"

"Of course. There's hundreds, actually. Sugar, chocolate chip, oatmeal, almost any sweets you can think of, really." She answers, slowly flipping through a cookbook she found God-knows-where. Which probably isn't the right expression for dealing with Ray, but it's too late now.

"'Want chocolate," Zack mumbles in return, suddenly feeling both embarrassed and hungrily content about making cookies.

Ray only smiles, like she expected him to say that. She almost gives in to placing a kiss on his cheek because of his bashful expression, but she keeps a straight face. "Chocolate chip it is, then."

…..

Zack wasn't exactly sure what they were doing. Ray had a bunch of different food out, along with a couple pans and bowls. And he was terribly lost.

Luckily, Ray could read him like a book and helped him, keeping a small smile on her face. Zack realized she probably didn't know it was there.

"Can you fill this up four times and dump it in the bowl?" She hands him a deep scoop thing and slides over a white powdery substance.

Zack grunts in acknowledgement, scooping the flour, as Ray called it, into the bowl. He did it really good until the third scoop, where he accidentally bumped elbows with Ray and the flour ended up covering them both head to toe. While Ray was wearing a white jacket, Zack was wearing a black one (not covered in blood), so it stood out easily.

Seeing his face scrunched up in distaste at the powder, Ray let out a real laugh. Those were a rarity within themselves, ever since Zack has known her. And while he hates hates hates _hates HATES_ people who are happy or laughing for some stupid reason, he likes when she smiles.

And he is in love with her laugh.

…..

Ray helped him carefully put the other ingredients in the bowl. Even the eggs, despite his insistence that he was too strong to break something softly. But she helped Zack prove himself wrong, showing him that he can be gentle. Zack didn't think he knew how to be gentle, but Ray was a lot smarter than him and probably knew better.

They may or may not have eaten a good handful or three of the chocolate chips. Well, okay, just him. But Ray didn't say anything about it, so it was okay.

Next, though, came the mixing. Ray told him they could do it by electric blender or by whisk, and Zack replied that he'd do it by hand because if he's making cookies, he's making the whole damn thing, and no electric blender is gonna get in his way.

So here he was, slowly stirring the ingredients together, courtesy of Ray. She told him if he went to fast, all the ingredients would fly out of the bowl and get on his bandages and clothes again. Not that they weren't already ruined (by the flour and just from making these in general), but he took her advice to heart and stirred slow.

Without realizing it, Ray showed him that he can still be patient if he wants. Zack had never been able to sit still, but now, with very little prompting, he was slowly stirring a bowl in a circle over and over and over, taking his time to make sure he did it right. He felt like he was going Ray's speed, always taking her time and doing things at a leisurely pace, and strangely, he didn't hate it as much as he used to.

He mentioned how he was never able to sit still for long to Ray a moment later, still stirring the bowl. Her eyes widened for a second, and then she looked away, muttering under her breath.

"It was so obvious. How had I not noticed?"

"What's wrong, Ray?"

She looked at him with guilt in her expression. "I could've helped you earlier if I was just more aware. If I had watched more closely."

"Ray?" Zack was still stirring the bowl dutifully, thought it was easily fully mixed.

"I can get you something to help with focusing and sitting still. Even messing around with something like a ball usually helps." Ray finally answered.

Zack raised an eyebrow at her words before actually taking them in. True, he did have problems with focusing and sitting still, but he didn't know other people had that problem too.

Ray told him it was actually pretty common. Some people take medicine for it, but Ray also knew Zack would rather have a ball or something to fumble around with.

And then they got back to making the cookies.

…..

Once Ray had helped him make a bunch of little balls with the dough (and they definitely didn't eat any of it), she told Zack to back up.

He trusted her and did as she suggested, but was still curious. "Why?"

"The oven is hot. I don't want you to hurt yourself." Ray replied.

While most people would have taken this as an insult, saying that she didn't trust them to put something in the oven without burning themselves, Zack knew what she meant. She didn't want him to go near it because he didn't like fire. He didn't like hot things, because hot things mean pain. Ray didn't want Zack to hurt himself in the memories of being burned half to death.

So she put the cookies in the oven, and then it was waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

They didn't actually wait that long before they moved on to other activities. Mostly splashing water around during dishes and wiping the flour off of their clothes. Zack had fun shoving the wet washcloth into Ray's face, before she outmaneuvered him and shoved it back into his, rubbing it around a bunch.

Zack laughed and Ray smiled.

…..

"Are they done yet?"

"No, Zack."

"..Are they done _yet?"_

"No."

"Are they done yet?"

"No."

"Are they done yet?"

"Yes, Zack. They are done."

"Are they- wait, what? Really? They're done?!" Zack's excited tone sounded like that of a child's, but neither of them minded. They both had rough childhoods, and Ray knew Zack deserved more good memories like this than he had. So she would just have to make them.

Nobody deserved to go their life without making cookies at least once.

Ray got the cookies out of the oven, closing and turning it off. She placed the cookies on a plate, then placing it at the table where Zack was sitting.

He tried reaching for one, but Ray smacked his hand away. "No, Zack. Not yet."

"What? Why not?" Zack all but pouted.

"Because they need milk, of course. And also to cool down a bit, but I don't think that could stop you." Ray got out two glasses and filled them with milk. She placed them next to their seats and then sat in her own.

Zack tapped his foot impatiently until she sat down. " _Now_ can I?"

She smiled again. They were much more common when Zack was around. "Yes, Zack. Now you can eat as many cookies as you want."

With the first bite of the cookie, Zack knew he was in heaven. He also knew that to be a lie, because there's no way someone like him was going to Heaven. Zack quickly devoured four more without pausing for half a second.

"Zack."

With just his name said, Zack did pause, cookie in hand. And then he realized what he'd done. "Oh, uh, sorry, Ray.."

But she just smiled, half a cookie in her hand as well. "Don't forget your milk."

And he grinned, and did just as she suggested.

Zack decided that he wouldn't mind making cookies again.


End file.
